Raised panel doors have been a part of the building and cabinet industries for many years. As shown in FIG. 1, a raised panel door 10 generally includes five components: two rails 12, two stiles 14, and a center panel 16. When the rails 12 and stiles 14 are assembled, the resulting structure is the outer frame 22 of door 10. The rails 12 form the horizontal portions of the door 10 and the stiles 14 form the vertical portions of door 10.
During manufacture, the rails 12 and stiles 14 may be processed by a machine, such as a soft former (not shown), which machines grooves on the inside edges 18 of stiles 14 and rails 12 while a double-end tennoner machines a cope on the ends of rails 12. The copes on rails 12 fit into the patterns comprising grooves on stiles 14 for connecting the two components together. Glue may then be applied to the intersecting portions of the stiles and rails, and the pieces assembled together as a frame around center panel 16. The center panel 16, as well as the stiles 14 and rails 12, are traditionally held in place with staples (not shown) to provide strength while the glue cures. Although machines may be used to perform some of the processes used in forming raised panel door 10, many processes are performed by humans, resulting in a labor-intensive and expensive manufacturing process.
For many years, each of the five components of the raised panel door 10 was made of solid wood materials, which may be quite costly and often lack uniformity in color and grain patterns. With the invention of the vacuum press, however, the industry has moved to manufacturing raised panel doors 10 in which the center panel 16 is made of a veneered panel. Such technology has enabled manufacturers to press and bend veneer over the gently sloping surface of a core material, making the manufacturing of the door more cost effective. These doors are still labor intensive and costly, however, because the rails 12 and stiles 14 are still manufactured out of solid wood materials.
Manufacturing raised panel doors 10 with solid wood materials has resulted in disadvantages that affect the manufacturing process, the consumer, and the environment. One disadvantage of raised panel doors 10 utilizing solid wood materials is the amount of wood that is required during manufacturing. It is increasingly becoming more difficult to obtain solid stock without blemishes such as knots and which has consistent color. These characteristics are undesirable to manufacturers because they compromise the high quality door desired by consumers. The scarcity of wood stock possessing desirable characteristics is further exacerbated as this stock has become scarcer due to the stock being sold for veneers and at a higher price. Thus, generally the only material left for stiles and rails on raised panel doors 10 is stock that is rejected for veneers. An entire manufacturing process may be needed to provide acceptable wood for the stiles and rails, and much of the original wood stock (e.g., 50–60%) may be wasted in the process.
Although the manufacturing of the center panel 16 out of a veneered substrate has alleviated some of the effects of wood shortages, other problems arise from the incorporation of different products into a single raised panel door 10. First, the veneered center panel 16 of the door 10 may stain to different color than the solid wood stiles and rails. Secondly, the veneered center panel 16 may have a more uniform pattern than the rails 12 and stiles 14 because of the different wood stock used for the veneer and for the solid wood rails 12 and stiles 14. As explained above, the veneer will generally be of a better quality wood stock. Thirdly, the door 10 has a tendency to expand and contract more because of the solid wood materials used in the manufacturing of the stiles and rails. This necessitates the need to staple the center panel into position to allow for the relative movement between the different pieces.
Stapling also results in unsightly staple holes for the manufacturer to fill and evidence of the staple may still be seen in the finished product. Warping of the solid wood pieces may also occur. Furthermore, the assembled door 10 results in a product in which the seams of the cope and groove 20 may be seen along the outer edges of the door 10. In addition, the ends of stiles 14 next to the cope of rails 12 exposes the cross grain of the wood, which does not match and is not as aesthetically pleasing as the wood on the side of the adjacent rails. Also, the end grain generally allows a faster rate of moisture absorption than the edge grain, thereby increasing the risk of warping and instability.